Optical cutters are well-known in medical, dental, and industrial settings. Generally, optical cutters employ a source of electromagnetic energy, such as a laser source, and an optical fiber system connected to the laser source and configured to direct the laser through one or more optical fibers to a surface to be cut. The optical fiber system may include one or more optical fibers contained within an optical fiber tube. The optical fiber tube may have a device at its end (the distal end) for controlling the delivery of the laser to the surface to be cut. The other end (the proximal end) of the optical fiber tube is connected to the laser source.
The fiber tubes may contain one or more optical fibers that may differ in certain physical properties. The laser's effectiveness is influenced by the physical properties of the optical fibers, such as length, diameter, shape, and/or type of fiber (e.g., material). Thus, it is important to know the physical properties of the optical fibers so that one using an optical cutter can improve the performance, reliability, and effectiveness of the device depending on which optical fiber is being used at any particular time.
Accordingly, there remains an unmet need for a device that permits detection of a fiber, and permits identification of the properties of the fiber.